IntroductionThe
Revel Sub 30 is the latest addition to Revel’s Ultima line of premium
loudspeakers. Building on lessons learned with the groundbreaking Revel
B15 subwoofer in the Performa line, the Sub 30 comes to the AV market
in a whole new class in terms of both performance and aesthetics. Gone
are the boring black box lines of a traditional subwoofer. The Revel
Sub 30 rounds out the lines with the kind of industrial design that you
might expect more from Apple than Harman; however, anyone who has seen
the new Harman-Kardon receivers might say the U.S. electronics
manufacturer has turned a new page in terms of their products’ physical
appearance. The price for the Revel Sub 30 starts at $5,990 for a
standard finish. It can also be ordered with aluminum side panels for a
$500 premium.

The speaker complement includes a 15-inch driver and a
secondary 15-inch dual-layer metal dome acoustic radiator. The sub is
powered by an amp capable of 1000 watts, with peaks as high as 1400
watts. Revel claims that their magnet and speaker system eliminates the
need for servo control of their woofer, resulting in the main theme of
the Revel Sub 30: less distortion. Having owned two Revel B15s, I can
personally state that it was hardly as though they shrieked with
distortion, but with a higher budget and a few more years of R & D
under their belts, the speaker design team at Revel was able to
significantly improve on an already excellent design. I moved my
professionally set-up B15 and tuned my listening space to make room for
the Sub 30. I could immediately hear a difference, even without running
Revel’s excellent set-up software.

Set-up
In the old days, an audio enthusiast had very little chance of making
his or her subwoofer truly perform to its potential in a room. Without
a degree in acoustics and $30,000 in measuring tools, it was hard to
know how to set your levels, EQ, phase and all of the other adjustments
on the back of a sub. This is why audiophiles have long fought the
addition of a subwoofer to their “purist” systems. Revel overcame this
objection by creating a software system that comes with the B15 and the
Sub 30 that allows you, using very simple tools, to measure the
performance of a sub in your room. Revel’s software will suggest the
proper EQ for a certain placement (the Sub 30 comes with EQ built in),
along with phase and other settings. The consumer finally has a chance
to get a personal music or theater system to live up to its potential
without the help of a professional.

Many have argued that, on a lot of levels, I need professional help.
One of the areas that I can’t dispute this is in terms of speaker
set-up. As a professional reviewer, I need to know that my system not
only sounds good in my room, but also measures fairly so I can evaluate
other components in my system for years to come. I employ the services
of studio tuner to the stars, Bob Hodas, who is famous for setting up
and tuning recording studios, mastering labs and home theaters for
clients like Abbey Road, Electric Lady, A&M, George Lucas, Sony
Music Tokyo, and many others. I also brought in Kevin Voecks, who has
been instrumental in the design of Revel speakers since the very
beginning, for a day of tuning and fine-tuning of my room. While I
catered the meals, Hodas and Voecks tweaked EQs and dorked with levels
for hours, until my system pounded with tight, deep bass energy that is
well-matched with the performance of my new Wilson WATT Puppy Version 7
loudspeakers. By the end of the day (and after a lot of effort), I took
a drywall saw to the wall beside the permanent location of the Sub 30
and hacked a hole in the wall to make room to pull a Transparent
Reference balanced interconnect from my Meridian 861 to the Sub 30.
After this much set-up effort, I figured it was worth the investment in
a badass cable. It is important to note that while a Bob Hodas set-up
is the ultimate level of tuning, you don’t absolutely need to fly the
master in to make a Sub 30 sound great in your room. The Revel set-up
tools are very powerful and definitely capable of making your sub sound
great in your room for just around $50 in tools and an hour or two of
your time.